Carrying device



Jan. 1s, 1944- K w, BURGE UAL 2,339,598

CARRYING DEVICE Fiied March 5o, 1942 Patented Jan. 18, 1.944

CARRYING DEVICE Keith W. Burgo and Clyde B. Burge,

Gary, Ind.

.-pplicationMarch 30, 1942, Serial No. 436,786

15 Claims.

Our invention relates to carrying devices and more particularly to a device for carrying a number of beverage bottles.

Beverage companies' have introduced into the merchandizing of bottled beverages, the sixbottle unit sale, particularly for home consumption. More generally this six-bottle unit has been prepared for convenient delivery to and carrying by the customer by providing aheavy paper sack having-handles thereon or by pa'per,

ties and which provide a. convenient carrying handle. These devices are generally made of'a fairly heavy paper board stock. In general all the Acartons thus far provided to facilitatethe sale of a unit package of six-bottles of beverage have had anumber of disadvantages.

The paper cartons which support the bottle by their bottoms are unsanitary since quite frequently these cartons of bottles are stored on the oor-of the store thus `coming in direct contact with dirt and in "many cases absorbing oil from the oiled floor. The housewife, of course, finds this to be very objectionable particularly when she brings home the carton and sets it on the table where it leaves an unsightly mark. Then too, these cartons generally have become so soiled in use that in the past it has been possible to use a carton for only one sale whereupon it must be replaced with a new carton.

From the standpoint of the bottlingcompany there are a number of disadvantages and objectionable features incurred in the use of the present types of bottle-carrier cartons or packages..

For the most efficient operation it is preferred to run the bottling plant at its normal rated fullspeed capacity, but when the six-bottle home package is to be made up forfdelivery it ls necessary to employ several extra men in order to take care .of all packing at a constant rate of speed of operation of the apparatus. Frequently the extra work involved in making these home. packages necessitates a slower. rate of operation. It

is impossible to convert the bottling apparatus to supply only the home packagesso therefore a mixed out-put is maintainedas for example,

. 50 per cent of the out-putof the bottling machine Furthermore in'present cartons it is impossible to provide any arrangement whereby the bottles may be maintained out of contact with each other so that as a result the bottles soon become roughened and thus are not only displeasing in appearance'but tend to become unsanitary due to the roughened surface which will retain more readily foreign substances and dirt. At the present time there is considerable consciousness of the need and desirability of con-1y serving all materials. Therefore the ,type of paperl heretofore used in all the cartons should be conservedv as much as possible. Furthermore it is desirable to decrease the number of trips which must be .made byy each delivery truck. In the past the containers or cartons for the six-bottle packages generally have had a portion thereof extending above the 4tops 'of .the bottles so that it was necessary to provide completely enclosed carrying cases for these packages. These carrying cases therefore were of increased height as compared to the conventional carrying device or shell when loaded with bottles. Thus the delivery truck actually had its total capacity reduced from 25 to 35 per cent. In accordance with the present invention it is possible to use the delivery truck to its maximum capacity the same as if the entire truck were loaded only with the cases or shells generally provided for the stores selling individual bottles.

Another problem from a merchandizing angle which heretofore has never been satisfactorily solved is the one involving a. maximum display of the merchandize. Practically all other types of bottle carriers have venclosed a. very substantial portion of the bottle so that only a small amount of the bottles was visible to the customer. But in accordance with the -present invention practically all ofthe product will ybe visible.

In accordance with our invention' a unit package bottled beveragecarrying device is provided which supports two rows of bottles by engaging a. substantial portion of each bottle just below the rim or head of ,the-bottle. 'I'he bottles are carried by this device and maintained in position relative 'to each other so that the bottles are separated thus eliminating wear between bottles; By

thus providing a carrying device supporting the bottles from the top greater visibility of the product is obtained,l and obviously'the entire arrangement is more sanitary since thev bottoms ofithe Abottled beverages. Y y.

bottles will not` absorb ,anyforeign' matter.

. It is therefore anobjectof our `invention to Another object of our invention is to provide an improved bottled beverage carrier which will be simple and eiiicient in operation.

Still another object of our invention is to provide an improved bottled beverage carrier which will overcome many of the above mentioned disadvantages of the device of the prior art and which will conserve materials.

A still further object of our invention is to provide an improved bottled beverage carrying device which is susceptible of being manufactured from any one of a number of different materials and which in use will be economical from the bottling companys standpoint in saving labor, delivery costs, bottles, and carrying devices.

Still another object of our invention is to provide an improved bottled beverage carrying device which will have a maximum useful life at a minimum cost.

A still further object of our invention is to provide an improved bottled beverage lcarrying device which will obviate the necessity of providing special delivery cases so that the carrying capacity of a delivery truck may be utilized to a maximum efficiency.

Other and further objects of our invention will become more readily apparent by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein Figure 1 illustrates a manner in which our invention supports beverage bottles; -Figure 2 is a top view illustrating certain features of the structure of our invention; vFigure 3 is explanatory of the operation of our invention; and Figure 4 illustrates certain advantages obtained in the use of our invention. f

Referring to the drawing -there .is shown va carrying device for supporting two rows of beverage bottles. Thiscarrying device as shown in the drawing is particularly adapted for the merchandizing of the six-bottle unit of bottled beverage for home consumption. The support device comprises `a frame 5 provided with two rows of bottle supporting means 6 each arranged to engage a substantialportion of the surface of the neck of the bottle immediately below the rim or head of the bottle. Fromv Figure 1 it will be seen that each of the bottles 'I has ajneck portion 8 and a head or enlarged rim portion 9 which is engaged by the bottle supporting means 6. The frame 5 may be made of any suitable material and in the present illustration the frame 5 comprises a relativelyat vrectangular sheet of material such as a plastic sheet, a thin board or plywood, or a compressed paper board. Obviously of course, other materials may be used in the manufacture of the frame and the particu- Vlar conguration illustrated is not essential to the present invention. vThe member or frame 5 as shown in Figure 2 is provided. with two rows of bottle supporting means B so that each row engages the outer portion of the neck of the bottle, and when the bottles are positioned as shown in Figure 2, the sides or rims 9 are supported by the supporting portion 6. In Figure 2 the bottles are shown in cross section taken at a point even with the top of the surface of the frame member 5, so as to more clearly show the structure vof the carrying device.

Immediately beneath the surface of the carryingA frame or member 5 there is provided a lo'cking wedgeor separation member Il, .which abuts the under surface of the member 5 when the `carrying device is used for carrying beverage bly comprising the frame member 5 and the separator II may be supported by any suitable handle means I2 which in one form may comprise a simple rope passing through suitable openings I3 and I4, in each of the ends of the members 5 and I I, and the rope is secured in any suitable manner as for example by means of a knot I5. Obviously of course, other handle or carrying means may be provided, for example a wire handle; the only requirement being that a suitable aperture be provided in the upper frame or supporting member 5; that the handle be secured to the lower locking member of wedge II in pivotal relation thereto; and that a portion of the force exerted on the handle when the device is carried be transmitted to the parts thereof to move the locking device into locking position.

In order that the heads or rims 9 of each bottle 'I may be inserted through the frame 5, thereafter to be positioned adjacent the upper surface of the frame 5 with the neck adjacent thereto in contact with the supporting means 6, suitable enlargements orvapertures I6 are provided for this purpose. In the arrangement shown three such apertures are provided, one for each pair of bottles, although it is to be understood that whenever the strength of the material used for the frame 5 permits a different construction, thatthe intermediate supporting and strengthening portions I'l and I8 may be omitted.

Furthermore it will alsobe apparent that perhaps in certain instances the intermediate portions I'I and I8 may be provided with the apertures for the handle member instead 'of placing the apertures adjacent the ends of the frame 5 and the locking separation member II. In the preferred form the ylocking member II is provided with a plurality of surfaces I9 each of which conform to va portion of the neck of the bottle 8 on the inner sides of the two rows of bottles 1. If desired, the locking member II may be provided with semi-circular surfaces instead'of the smaller arcuate surfaces I9 shown in the drawing, and with certain modifications of the locking memi ber, these surfaces may be 4positioned in the same plane as the supporting means 6.

The particular advantages of the present invention perhaps will become more readily apparent by-an explanation of the utility of the device and the manner in which the device is manipulated at the bottling plants. More generally the beverage bottling plant is provided with an apparatus to which there is supplied empty beverage bottles, generally obtained from shells or cases returned to the plant from the stores. 'Iheapparatus receiving the used or empty bottles washes the bottles, lls them with beverage, caps them and supplies them by means of a conveyor to an accumulator table where they then are taken by an operator and placed in empty shells or cases. Heretofore whenever it was desired to prepare home package units generally containing 6 bottles. in a carton, it was necessary to supply two or more additional operators for the operation of the bottling apparatus. This was necessary because of the labor involved in unfolding and preparing folded cartons, and in inserting the beverage bottles in those cartons, as well as the effort required to place these unit packages in separate delivery cases which differed from the conventional 24 bottle shell Where the carrying device or the' bottle`carrier of the present invention is utilized, fewer numbers of operators are required, and only one type` of delivery case or shell preferably the type containing 24 bot- Aever the truck was to be loaded with unit packages formed by cartons of the conventionall type,v

ties is used to receive and store the capped bott es.

Whenever a shell" containing 24 bottles of beverage has been filled,` and it is desired to provide home delivery packages of vsix-bottles each, the operator obtains one of the devices suchmas shown in the drawing and pushes the wedge or locking member II downward so that this member is substantially perpendicular or at least at an angle tothe plane of the supporting member or frame 5. By placing the hands on the ends of the frame member 5, the ngers of the hands may be used to retain in position the locking member I I. With the carrying device thus `supported by both hands, the entire device is slightly tilted at an angle so that the heads 9 of one row of bottles may be projected through the opening I6, whereupon the ydevice is moved forwardly against-the bottles so that the neck portions of one row of bottles is engaged by the supporting means 6. The locking member or wedge Il is thereupon moved by the fingers directly toward the inner neck surface of this row of bottles and the entire assembly and bottles are then moved forwardlyso that the heads 9 of the other row of bottles may be projected through the opening I6.

which generallyvwere taller than the bottles and which required special delivery cases. Thus'it will be seen that less room `is required for the 4shells or cases used in the delivery of the bottled beverage and consequently each truck may be loaded with a greater number of bottles and hence there is a considerable saving in the total number of delivery trips required'to deliver'the required amount of merchandize.

Both the retail merchant and the bottling company will find that the .carrier comprising the present invention is of particular advantage to them. The merchant will nd that due to the use of the present carrier, there will be fewer broken bottles, and furthermore the carrier will not permit the return ofbottles with broken necks. IThe carrier .furthermore permits a greater display of the merchandize. since it does not hide nor cover any substantial portion of the bottles. While the merchant in the past has received a Thereupon the entire assembly is released and the heads 9 of the two rows of bottles of beverage will appear as in the end view shown in Figure 3. The locking member II will be positioned between the two rows of bottles.A The weight ofA the first row of bottles which were tilted forwardlyto permit engagement of the second row of bottles returns them to normal position in the shell thus causing the bottle supporting means 6 of the second row of the frame 5 to en\ gage the necks of the bottles 8 and to assume the position shown. Whenever the handle l2 is grasped to pick up a unit package of bottles from the shell or delivery case, the wedge Il will be. moved to the dotted line position shown in Figure 3ft-,hereby securely locking each of the bottles 1 in the supporting means 6 of the frame 5. The bottles thus supported by their rims or heads 9 in the bottle supporting means 6 of the frame 5 will be locked by the wedge or separator II so as to be relatively fix'edly supported in separated or spaced apart relation. The bottles thus are supported lor separated from each other so that while the unit package is being transported from one place to another, there is no contact between the sides of the bottles; consequently there is no wear of the sides of the bottles nor is there any possibility of breakage of these bottles.

It furthermore will become apparent that in preparing home delivery package units at the bottling plant, that there is no operation involved which requires the bottles to 'be forced into a container nor that bottles must be forced in contact with each other. In Figure 4 there is shown the side view of a 24 bottle she1l" 2I, the bottles stock of bottles for, individual sale in shells or carriers, and the unit` packages were delivered only in their cardboard cartons; under the present arrangement all bottled goods for individual bottle sale or unit package of six-bottles each may be delivered in the same shells Thus the merof which have been provided with the unit home delivery package carryingdevice of the present invention. From this it willbe seen that conventional shells are lled atthe bottling plant and that subsequently as vmany shells as mayA be desired are then provided with the unit carsupported directly upon the top of the'bottles.

'This form of assembly a'llsofpermitsl thepyramid'- ing of cases of beverage on the top'of thedelivery truck which vheretofore could not be done whenchants stock of sixunit packages may be stored and stacked in the shells thus keeping the bottles and unit packages cleaner than was possible heretofore.

From the standpoint of conservation of materials in addition to lessening the costs of labor at the plant, and the costs of distribution, the present device has numerous advantages. The present'unit package carrier may involve a higher initial cost per carrier, but a lesser costper sale of beverage since the device is relatively permanent and need not'be replaced after a single sale of beverage, but may be used for repeated sales. The present carrier furthermore will ,appeal to the customer since it is substantial in structure, it may be made of materials not weakened-by moisture, and hence the customer will readily appreciate its substantial nature which will" be in contrast to'the former packages which frequently were weakened or torn so as to permit the bottles to drop and break.v l

While we have shown a particular embodiment of our invention, for the purpose of illustration and description, it of course is to, be understood that the present invention is susceptible of other embodiments, and that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention as set forth in `the appended claims.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by LettersPatent'of the United States isi 1. A device for carrying two rows of bottles comprising a member having means l conforming to and adapted to engage the outer half ofthe neck of each' bottle just below the head or rim thereof, said member having portions thereof interconnecting the means in each row and other portions interconnecting said rows,'a second ported by saidk frame will begengaged thereby and locked into Aposition in said device. 2. A devicefor carrying two rows of :bottles comprising a member having two rows of means `each conforming to and adaptedto-engage the tached to said'locking member, said locking member being positioned by said handle so that portions of the necks of each of the bottles supported by said frainewill bev engaged thereby and locked into position in said device.

3. A device for carrying two rows of bottles bv their heads or rims comprising a frame provided with two rows of bottle supporting means each conforming to substantially the outer half of the neck of a bottle just below the head or rim thereof, a locking member positioned between said rows of bottles, and a handle passing through apertures provided in said frame, said handle being connected to said locking member to permit said locking member to b'e tilted relative to said frame, said handlewhen supporting said carrier maintaining said locking member in engagement l with the inner sides of the necks of the rows of bottles supported by said frame thereby to maintain said bottles'relatively fixedly supported and vseparated from each other.

connected to said locking member, said handle when supporting said carrier operating to maintain said locking member in a position adjacent said frame so that portions of said locking mem- Y ber engage the inner sides of the necks of said rows of bottles. l

5. A device for carrying a plurality ofbeverage bottles comprising a relatively dat supporting member provided with apertures therein each having a plurality of semi-circular portions adapted to conform to the shape of the neck of the bottle just below the head thereof, said semicircular portions being arranged in pairs spaced apart and located opposite each other, and a cooperating member arranged to lock bottles in said semi-circular portions,a carrying handle interconnecting both members, said cooperating member when said device is being carried by said handle `being positioned adjacent the necks of the bottles supported thereby and in wedging relation to the bottles in each pair of semi-circular portions. v

6. A device for carrying at least a pair of bottles, comprising a fiat member provided with an aperture having a portion of such width as to permit the head ofa bottle to pass therethrough and having opposed spaced. apart semi-circular portions each conforming to the shape of the neck of the bottle just below the head thereof to support the bottles by their heads when said device is carried, a locking member comprising a second assasos ing as a wedge to secure substantially immovably the bottles'in position in said first member.

7. A device for carrying a plurality of bottles comprising an apertured member having semicircular portions being arranged opposite each other in spaced apart relation, each semi-circular portion conforming to the neck of abottle which is below the head thereof to support 'the bottle by thev head thereof when said device is carried, opposed s'emi-circular portions being separated by other portions of such size as to permit the head of the bottle to pass through said member, a secrim thereof, asecond nat member adapted to be positioned underneath said first member and to engage the necks of the bottles when said device is being carried, and a handle attached to said second member and mounted within passageways in said first member whereby the strain on said handle when said device is being carried will position said second member to lock said bottles in the semi-circular portions of said first member.

9. A device for carrying two rows of bottles by their rims comprising a frame provided with two rows of bottle supporting means each complementary to and adapted to engage one half of the neck of a bottle just below the rim thereof, a locking member positioned to engage said frame and provided with means for engaging a portion of the neck of a bottle substantially opposite the portion engaged by said. frame, and a handle attached to said latter member, said handle passing through apertures in said frame whereby a portion of the force exerted on said handlewhen said device is carrying bottles is transmitted to said locking member so that said locking member will maintain said bottles relatively xedly supported within said supporting means.

10. A device for carrying two rows of bottles by their rims comprising a frame provided with two rows of apertures, a portion of the frame adjacent said apertures conforming to and being adapted to engage substantially the outer halves of the necks Vof bottles just below the rims thereof, adjacent portions of said apertures being such to permit the rims of the bottles to be passed through said frame, a locking member positioned beneath said frame, and a handle attached to said locking member, said'handle passing through apertures in said frame so that when said handle' supports said device, a portion of the force on said handle will be transmitted to said latter member to lock the necks of the bottles in the bottle supporting portions of said apertures.

11. A device for supporting two rows of bottles by their rims comprising a frame provided with a plurality of apertures of such size to permit the rims oi!v the bottles to be passed through said frame, a portion of the frame adjacent said apertures having supporting means each conforming to and being adapted to engage substantially one half of the neck of a bottle just below thevrim thereof,` a locking member positioned in unlockingposition beneath said frame, said locking member being provided-with por- 4be passed therethrough, said frame being provided with two rows of bottle supporting means each conforming to and being adapted to engage substantially one half of the neck of a bottle just below the rim thereof, a locking member adapted to be positioned between said rows of bottles, said locking member being provided with `a plurality of portions each conforming' to a portion of the neck of a bottle, and a handle for said device positioned above said frame and connected to said locking device, said handle when supporting said device and two rows of bottles operating to position securely said locking member in engagement with the under side of said frame and the inner sides of the necks of said rows of bottles thereby to maintain said bottles relatively xedly supported and separated from each other.

13. A device ior carrying bottles by their rims comprising a frame formed of a ilat piece of material and providedwith a plurality of rows of bottle supporting means each conforming to substantially one half of the neck of a bottle below the rim thereof, a single nat locking member positioned beneath said frame and between said rows of bottle supporting means, said locking member-being provided with portions for engaging the necks of bottles supported by'said lframe, and a handle for said device being oonnected to said locking member, said handle operating to position said locking member adjacent the underside of said frame and in engagement with necks of bottles supported by said frame.

14. A device for carrying beverage bottlesby their heads or rims comprising an apertured frame provided with two rows of beverage bottle supporting means, each supporting means conforming to substantially the outer half of the neck of a bottle below the rim thereof, an`elongated locking member extending between said two rows of beverage bottles, and a handle connected to said locking member and extending abovev said frame, said handle when supporting said carrier operating to maintain said locking member in a position adjacent to said frame so that portions of said locking member engage the inner sides of the'necks of said rows of bottles.

l5. A device for carrying two rows of beverage bottles by their rims comprising an apertured frame, an elongated locking member and a handle, said apertured frame being arranged to permit the rims of the bottles to be passed therethrough, said frame having two rows of bottle supporting means conforming to and being adapted to engage substantially one half of the neck of a bottle just below the rim thereof, said Nelongated locking member adaptedto be positioned between said rows' of bottles, said locking member being tilted relative to said frame when in unlocking position, said handle for said device being connected to said locking member and extending above said frame, said handle when supporting said device and two rows of bottles operating to position said locking member in locking position in abutment with the under side of s aid frame and in engagement with the inner sides of the necks of said rows of bottles in the proximity of the rims thereof thereby to maintain said bottles relatively iixedly supported and separated from each other.

. KEITH W. BURGE. CLYDE B. BURGE. 

